I had a pretty good day today, until I almost threw my phone out the window.

I was on the line for what seemed like HOURS with tech support for a software program at work this afternoon – already irritated that I couldn’t figure out the answer to my problem myself – when the support woman started humming. Humming! Humming on and on and on for minutes at a time!

There’s nothing more infuriating then being infuriated in the first place, then have someone act blatantly carefree on the other end of the line. Maybe it’s just me.

Disclaimer: I was very polite on the phone. Service industry workers deserve MAD props for what they do all day. Recognize!

I relieved some of the stress with a killer workout session.

• 30 minutes 3-2-1 workout. 3 minutes @ 7.0, 2 minutes @ 7.5, 1 minute @ 8.0 and repeat 4 times. Total: 3.5 miles in 30 minutes with a 5 minute warm up and 1 minute cool-down.
• 10 minutes stair climber at level 10. Oooo, my glutes! I needed it from sitting in my chair all day!

In other news, it’s time for another edition of You Know You’re From the Midwest When… (check out editions one, two & three!) You know you’re from the Midwest when you don’t say “Maid who??” when I tell you Maid-Rites were on the menu tonight!

Maid-Rite, a popular Midwestern restaurant, specializes in “loose meat” sandwiches, aka seasoned ground beef on a warm bun. I know. Sounds… crazy?! It is, a little, I suppose – but I totally dig ‘em! And NO they’re not sloppy joe’s!

I had to laugh when Ben told me a story about a co-worker who was visiting from the east coast last month and was asking people where she should eat while in town. Someone suggested Maid-Rite and was trying to explain the sandwiches to her…

“So it’s a sloppy joe then…”

“No, there’s no sauce.”

“So it’s just meat?”

“Yeah, but it’s seasoned.”

“But it’s still just ground beef…”

“Right, but it’s really good. Just trust me!”

HA! I can totally hear this convo in my brain… Aaaanyways, my Mom has a super recipe for Maid-Rites (oh also, you can just call them “maid-rites” and everyone will know what you’re talking about) so I cooked some up for dinner!

Mom’s Maid-Rite Recipe

Print this recipe!

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:
1lb 93/7 lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 beef bullion cube
1/2 cup water
pepper (couple shakes)
1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoon steak sauce

Directions:

1. Sauté beef and onions until cooked. Drain and return to pan.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

SO easy, right?!

I always get my maid-rites with a squeeze of cold ketchup and some salty pickles. Perfection I tell you. Totally a crowd pleaser too – your kids/boyfriends will love this!!

You should always get Maid-Rite’s crispy, shoestring fries with your sandwich, so I made my own version – crispy sweet potato fries!

Slice 1 sweet potato into fries.

Dredge in 2 egg whites whisked with cinnamon and salt,

then roll in panko bread crumbs.

Line ‘em up like a little potato army and bake for 30 minutes @ 425 degrees.

Don’t worry if you feel like you don’t have enough panko on there – a little goes a LONG WAY!

Look at the crispiness!!!

These were seriously louder than a potato chip!

They were actually on the verge of being too crispy – I scraped my mouth up a bit…

The taste was ace though. Sweet, cinnamony and salty. Awesome!

Bring a taste of the Midwest to your home, won’t you?

Ben brought me a Milky Way Simply Caramel candy bar home from work for dessert tonight. Told you I couldn’t stay away from candy for too long… Hmph!

Have a great night!

~~~~~

Fill in the blank “You know you’re from (fill in your city/state here) when…”

Alternatively, do you have any unique local or regional dishes?

Iowa, of course, is know for their corn and pigs. NOT POTATOES – that’s Idaho (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten that!)